missing title

You can say it, Paul.

You can say we're ready.

We're ready.

OK, thank you, Paul.

Good afternoon, everybody.

The March 4, 2026, Meeting of the Parks and Seattle City Light will come to order.

It's 2.03.

My name is Deborah Warris, chair of the committee.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Strauss?

Here.

Councilmember Saka?

Here.

Councilmember Rivera?

Present.

Vice Chair Kettle?

Here.

Chair Warris?

Here.

Five members are present.

Thank you.

If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

Not seeing any objection.

The agenda is adopted.

Very briefly, folks, there are two ordinances from Seattle City Light on today's agenda and four appointments to the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee.

The ordinances will be grouped and presented together and then we will vote for them on them separately.

There's two.

And then the appointments will be grouped together and we will have a speaker.

Where is she?

There's our friend LaVonna.

and then we will vote on all four together.

So the two ordinances will be presented together but voted on separately and the four reappointments will be grouped together and voted on together.

Let's move on to public comment.

We have the hybrid public comment period.

Public comments should relate to the item on today's agenda and within the purview of this committee.

Clerk, how many folks do we have in person and how many folks do we have remote?

Currently we have one in-person speaker signed up and two remote speakers.

Okay, so let's, why don't you read the first person that's in chambers and then we'll go to the remote.

First in-person speaker will be Will Sumner.

Will Sumner?

Mr. Sumner?

Sumner.

Mr. Sumner, go ahead.

Either mic will work.

We'll get your timer going in just a minute.

You can pull it up, sir.

There you go.

Okay, thanks.

I'm going to stick to my notes here so I can stay on time.

I have two minutes, correct?

Yes.

OK.

Hello, council members.

Thank you for giving me this time today.

My name is Will Sumner.

I'm a small business owner of a 25-year-old solar contracting business in Seattle and a board member for the Washington Solar Energy Industries Association, or WASIA.

Seattle City Light is at 93% of its cap dictated by RCW for net metering.

after which Net Metering 2.0 or NEM 2.0 in our parlance will be debated.

I may be telling you guys some stuff you already know, but Net Metering is currently granting solar home and business owners the retail rate for power when they export back to the grid.

Changing this rate begets a larger conversation about the value of rooftop solar offers to homeowners, utilities, and society as a whole.

I have three goals today.

One is to let you know that WASIA has successfully secured funds for a multi-year, third-party study of the value of distributed solar by the Washington Academy of Sciences.

That study is set to conclude later this year, and this is intended to drive net metering policy going forward.

The second goal is to introduce myself to you all and WASIA as a whole so that we may be partners going forward in this conversation.

We see the utilities as partners and city council and so forth.

And finally, I wanted to impress upon you the gravity of this decision on businesses like mine.

Net metering policy, more draconian versions of this policy, and other markets in the country have had huge ramifications for distributed solar deployment, a.k.a. rooftop solar deployment.

So it's a big deal for us, especially post-ending.

Is that my time?

No, you still got eight seconds, but keep going.

I'll let you go.

Finally, I'd like to stress the importance of clear messaging around city lights, intentions, and timeline.

Mixed messaging wreaks havoc in our world.

and bad players have been known to capitalize on that with high pressure sales tactics.

So clear messaging on when decisions are going to be made is going to be really helpful to us as an industry.

And just wanted to thank you and let me know if there's a way that we can continue the conversation as a part of Waseya.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

I apologize.

I was supposed to say everybody got two minutes in my script and I forgot to say it, but two minutes.

Thank you.

And then the chime is you have 10 seconds left.

That's what that means.

Got it.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else in chambers?

Nope.

Okay.

So let's go to remote.

Do I need to say, Hey, everybody, you got two minutes when you hear the ding on the phone?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Press.

Is that in here?

No.

Remote speakers, you'll each have two minutes to speak.

When you hear the chime, you'll have 10 seconds left.

The first remote speaker is Laura Klaus.

Please press star six when you hear the prompt of you have been unmuted.

Is she up on our, I don't see her on my screen.

Is she there?

Laura?

Hello, this is Laura Claus.

I've called in.

Yes.

We got you now.

We'll go ahead and start your timer if you hear the ding.

You got 10 seconds, but we'll start the timer when you begin.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I appreciate the time.

I'm here from Skagitonians to preserve farmland and we're deeply concerned that Seattle City Light, of which you have governance, A utility that owns more than 10,000 acres in Skagit County is in the process of appointing what appears to be an interim CEO without utility management experience, with the expectation announced in the news today that that individual will serve for 18 to 24 months.

When will this body be holding a public meeting to discuss the appointment of responsible leadership in a time when so much is at stake, especially Fisk Passage at Seattle City Lights dams on the Skagit River?

when the FERC relicensing application process is nearing a conclusion.

Ma'am, we're just here for public comment, so.

That's my comment.

Thank you so much.

Okay, thank you.

The next remote speaker is David Haynes.

Please press star six when you hear the prompt of you have been unmuted.

It appears David Haynes is no longer signed in.

So that would be the last of our public speakers.

Thank you.

Mr. Clerk, I want to apologize to you.

I just noticed right now I skipped over your section, but I think we've been doing this long enough to know how it works.

Okay, so that's it.

That's our last speaker for remote and in chambers, and that being so, public comment is now closed.

I can skip way up here to items of business.

This is the exciting part.

Items one and two.

So we will now move onto our first two items.

Will the clerk please read items one and two and to the record.

Agenda items one and two.

Council Bill 121169, an ordinance relating to the City Light Department accepting 61 easements for electrical distribution rights in King County, Washington.

Placing said easements under the jurisdiction of the City Light Department and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.

and Council Bill 121170, an ordinance relating to the City Light Department accepting 150 easements for electrical distribution in King County, Washington, placing said easements under the jurisdiction of the City Light Department and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.

Presenters are Katie Tassery, Andy Strong, and William Devereaux from Seattle City Light.

Great, our presenters are all here.

I had a chance to chat with them before we turned on the cameras, so thank you.

Is it okay if I call you by your first names?

Okay, we have Katie, Andy, and William, and our friend who's operating the slide deck.

You have a presentation for us.

You have a PowerPoint, I think it's six pages.

And like I said, friends, we are going to discuss the council bills ending in 6-9 and 7-0 together.

So with that, I'm going to ask the presenters if you can go ahead and introduce yourself and begin your presentation.

Thank you, Chair Juarez.

This is Katie Tassery.

I'm the out-of-class real estate manager for Seattle City Light.

Good afternoon.

I'm Bill Devereaux.

I'm the director of environmental management and real estate for Seattle City Light.

Good afternoon.

Andy Strong.

I'm the environmental engineering and project delivery officer for Seattle City Light.

Did you say William or Bill?

William.

Okay.

You can move your mic up.

There you go.

Yeah, there you go.

Just want to make sure you got it.

Okay, so you guys got a PowerPoint for us that I went through, but obviously you're here to go ahead and take us through it.

So you want to go ahead and start?

Sounds good.

Thank you.

So we have two ordinances here today, and they're both accepting easements on behalf of Seattle City Lights, so property rights.

The reason there's two separate ordinances is because they do two slightly different things.

The first ordinance is 61 distribution easements, and we'll talk about what that is on the next slide.

And then the second ordinance is 150 platted easements.

on behalf of Seattle City Light.

And the reason we need to legislate that, City Council has the right to approve the acquisition and disposition of property rights.

We're going fast.

Hey, Katie, do you want to also note, I looked at your presentation, that these easements are from 2024 and 2025, so this is kind of an administrative, if you will, housekeeping That's correct.

We do one of these every year.

Last year was in April and it picks right up where the last ordinance left off.

So we attempt to do them annually and doing them in a package of 61 and 150 so that you don't have to review 61 separate ordinances and 150 separate ordinances.

are attempting to save some time by grouping them together annually.

Thank you.

As much as we love easements, thank you.

It's riveting, but as much as we like them.

And this is part of City Light's distribution of power, so it's enabling us to hook up customers with power.

So the first ordinance, the distribution easements, the property rights for infrastructure that goes across a neighbor's property to the end customer.

So you can see in the graphic there, the little arrow, it's just that sliver of line or whatever the infrastructure is that goes over a neighbor's property.

Next slide.

And then the platted easements, there's 150 easements for that, and it's kind of, I've seen it described as a blanket easement, so property rights covering the entire subdivision of property.

Those can be short plats, lot boundary adjustments, and unit lot subdivisions, so taking one parcel and dividing it into smaller pieces, and there's been more of that activity lately.

This gives City Light the property rights it needs to provide power to those customers.

and that concludes the presentation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So, with that, do any of my fellow colleagues have any questions regarding Council Bill 12169 and also 121170?

You sure, Councillor Schell?

I have things I could say.

No questions?

Okay.

Well, I think Katie would like a question, but I think we're good, right?

I'm ready.

She's ready to go.

All right.

So thank you for that presentation.

There are no questions from my colleagues, and thank you for the PowerPoint with the page numbers, and right to the point.

Appreciate that.

Including the ordinance, too, by the way, which thank you very much.

I did look at that.

Okay, so let's go to, I'm going to do item one first.

I move that the committee recommend passage of Council Bill 121169. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It has been moved and seconded to recommend passage of the bill.

Are there any other further comments?

Okay, not seeing any.

Mr. Clerk, will you please call the roll on the recommendation of passage of the bill.

Council Member Strauss.

Aye.

Council Member Saka.

Aye.

Council Member Rivera.

Aye.

Vice Chair Kettle.

Aye.

Chair Juarez.

Aye.

Chair, there are five votes in favor and zero opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries.

Council Bill 121169 will be sent to the March 10th, 2026 Seattle Council meeting.

Okay, let's go on to item number two.

I move that the committee recommend passage of Council Bill 121170. Is there a second?

Second.

I got two seconds.

After that second, it has been moved and seconded to recommend passage of the bill.

Are there any further comments?

Okay, not seeing any.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the recommendation of the passage of the bill?

Councilmember Strauss?

Aye.

Councilmember Sacca?

Aye.

Councilmember Rivera?

Aye.

Vice Chair Kettle?

Aye.

Chair Juarez?

Aye.

Chair, there are five votes in favor and zero opposed.

The motion carries and Council Bill 121170 will be sent to the March 10th, 2026 City Council meeting.

Thank you very much.

We'll do a handful of Council.

Thank you guys.

I apologize for the commotion in the beginning.

All right.

Mr. Clerk, will you please read our items three to six in the record and then I'll make a few comments and we'll get started.

Go ahead.

Agenda items three through six, appointments 03444 through 03447, reappointments of Summer Hepburn and Todd Toshio Snyder as members of the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee for terms to December 31st, 2026, and reappointments of Jeffrey G. Berry and Michael Starks as members of the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee for terms to December 31st, 2027. The presenter is Devonna Johnson from Seattle City Light.

Thank you.

And Devon is already here again.

Thank you from Seattle City Light to not only tell us about the Joint Advisory Training Committee, but also give us a little walk us through with the new four reappointees, which I understand are all mayoral appointments.

Do you have your, are you ready to go on your comms?

Okay.

So with that, will you want to go ahead and introduce yourself, Devonna, even though we know you're from Seattle City Light?

Thank you very much, Council Chair.

My name is Devonna Johnson.

I'm the People and Culture Officer at Seattle City Light.

Thank you so much for inviting me today to talk about our amazing apprenticeship programs that we have at the City of Seattle.

Thank you, and we got the confirmation packets for all four individuals, and I see you got two SPUs and two Seattle City Lights, so I'm going to hand it over to you, and you just walk us through your PowerPoint.

Sure, thank you.

All right, so the JATC, the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, functions under a resolution passed by the City Council to ensure that our apprenticeship programs are managed in accordance with the Washington State Apprenticeship Training Council guidelines.

The members are appointed by the mayor for three-year terms.

We have three members that include organized labor and three members from city service.

The employers and the unions agree to carry out the instructions of apprentices, ensure that their apprenticeships remain on track, and monitor both their academic and on-the-job performance.

The JATC's responsibilities include, they recommend instructors for our program, which are integral.

Most of our instructors are also city employees that have moved through those trades.

come and work with our apprentices in their night school instruction, and then are also facilitators for their on-the-job training.

They prepare reports.

We have three apprenticeship subcommittees.

One functions out of Seattle City Light, another out of Seattle Public Utilities, and then a third from the Finance and Administrative Services Department for the Auto Mechanics Program.

and those apprenticeship subcommittees then roll up to the JATC.

Their authority is to ensure that any subcommittee action that's specific to the trade is also reviewed and ensured that it's in compliance with both the city of Seattle personnel rules, but then also the state apprenticeship guidelines.

There's a whole set of procedures that we go through, obviously hoping to avoid any of that with our apprentices, but the JATC does have authority and responsibility for ensuring that apprentices move through their programs successfully, and if they don't, they do have administrative powers to either hold those apprenticeships and or ultimately cancel an apprenticeship.

So, we love our acronyms at the city, but the three apprenticeship subcommittees that we have, they also have equal representation of labor and management.

like I said, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, and then also the Finance and Administrative Services Department.

They participate in interviews and ensure that we're also compliant with our collective bargaining agreements.

And then the members of that group are recommended by the individual department leaders that ultimately go to the mayor and then confirmed by the council.

Can I ask you a question before you go a little bit further?

Sure.

Just so I can, one got by me when I was looking at it.

I printed out your PowerPoint.

On page three, you said to prepare reports of the work of the apprenticeship subcommittees.

So who would that be, the subcommittees for?

Yeah, so the subcommittees for...

So each department has their own subcommittee that's also made up, again, of labor and management employees.

And so for City Light, they're the ECAC, the Electrical Crafts Apprenticeship Committee for Seattle Public Utilities.

It is the...

water and pipe worker program.

And then for FAS, again, it's the auto mechanics program.

So each department has their own subcommittees that function, and then those recommendations and reports are elevated to the JATC, which is the ultimate administrative body.

Okay, good.

That's the other question.

And then on page four, when you talked about just not so much the disciplinary stuff, but the program sponsors, whom would that be?

When you say a time assessed when apprentice progress is not satisfactory during this time, the program sponsor may withhold periodic wage advancements.

Yes, so in this case, the city is the program sponsor.

That's what I thought.

It's us.

Okay.

Got it.

Thank you very much.

And then are you going to tell us what, on page five, what all these acronyms are?

I don't know what they are.

ECAC, HEMA, and UCWAC.

Yes.

So the ECAC is the Electrical Crafts Apprenticeship Committee.

Okay.

SPU.

Let me find it right here.

is the...

It's the...

Sorry, you have electric.

Yeah, it's...

Oh my gosh.

I'm missing it.

It's okay if you can.

I just...

Yes.

The...

The second one is the SPU one, and I'm missing it right now.

I spend most of my life in the- That's fine.

If you don't know the SPU.

And then the third one is the autoworkers.

That's apprenticeship.

Got it.

Because I know that we worked with some of these groups on apprenticeship programs, but SPU is the H-E-M-M-A one.

Okay.

Yes.

Perfect.

Thank you.

I stopped you in the middle of your flow there, I apologize.

So we, you know, potential issues that sometimes arise in the apprenticeship program, but that the JATC also has oversight on is ensuring that apprentices are obviously attending both their on the job training, but then also their supplemental instruction, which is the night school program.

They're also there to ensure that apprentices are treated with dignity and respect and are free from an environment of harassment.

They work with both the labor and the departments to ensure that our proficiency exams along the way are relevant and appropriate, and then they also have oversight for some of the on-the-job training.

So, are there any questions about the problem?

I actually have a question before I turn it over to my folks here.

First of all, I want to apologize.

I didn't ask your permission.

Was it okay for me to just call you Devana?

Yes, please.

Okay, because I know you, but I just want to be respectful.

The only other thing I would add is when we were looking at, when I was looking at page two, and I just remember this from doing this, I want to thank Seattle City Light, SPU, the auto and electrical workers, but we had done two apprenticeship programs at North Seattle College for the iron workers and the building and trades, and it went really well.

I was really happy that we replicated that, because we took the model that was down in West Seattle, and we just replicated it up at North Seattle College, which they were doing on their college campus.

What's the college in your district?

North Seattle College?

South Seattle.

One in West Seattle in Georgetown.

Yeah, what is it?

South Seattle.

Yeah, South Seattle.

We replicated the South Seattle one.

And then we worked with the Tulalip tribe and they brought down a big van and we did all that and it went so well.

We recruited men, women, women of color, women that are coming off public assistance.

It just, it went really well.

And then I got invited to, and you probably know this better than me, labor, there's this big conference they have once a year at Seattle Center, or not Seattle Center, but the Convention Center with all the women labor workers from across.

Women in trades.

The women in trades.

Yes.

Anyway, I had never seen that many women who are in the trades, iron workers, electricians, builders.

and I got to pull on the big chain to do the thing.

I didn't win, but I tried.

It was amazing.

Yeah.

Well, I was just amazed that I had never been, it was packed with all women in the trades from Alabama, Washington DC, Texas, Montana, Utah, and all had their Teamsters and their t-shirts on and it was just really cool.

I'd never been around that.

So maybe I'll get invited back.

I'm just letting you know.

So I think I need another shot at that chain thing.

We would love to have you.

Yeah, is there any, go ahead colleagues, does anyone want to step up and ask questions of Devana or Ms. Johnson?

Normally they all have a lot to say, but I guess not.

Oh, go ahead.

Okay.

I'll just say thank you so much for coming here today and presenting some of the work of the committee.

And I always appreciate folks who are willing to be appointed to serve in these roles.

These are really important roles.

you know, their volunteer roles and then they're really important.

So, you know, you have to know people are passionate about this enough to want to give of their free time to do this.

So I always respect that so very much.

Many, many, many years ago, I sat on the Human Rights Commission and it was such a rewarding, at the City of Seattle, it was such a rewarding experience for me.

And so I really, it is something that's so meaningful.

and I am so appreciative.

And then in terms of the labor piece is so important.

You know, as part of the family's education preschool promise levy, we have this.

path to trades that we do in concert with the colleges.

And this is what they're doing in South Seattle.

If you haven't, I know you have.

Council Member Juarez has been down there.

For those of you colleagues that have not, I would encourage you to go.

They have a welding program.

My dad was a welder in a union, in the union in New York.

and I just have a special fondness for welders because of it, but there's so many labor programs for young people at the Seattle colleges, particularly South Seattle, also North Seattle, and it's something we're going to be doing more of in this next FEP levy.

I know this isn't about the FEP levy, but there is an intersection, and so thank you.

I would just like to say that we have reached out and are working on a partnership with the Department of Education and Early Learning to figure out how we can leverage those Seattle Promise dollars to help with all scholarship opportunities or training opportunities to help prepare people for in our case, the electrical trades, but all of the trades that are at the city.

And while we don't have apprenticeships for every trade, we do employ ironworkers and welders and people like that in jobs.

We just don't have those apprenticeships.

But I think it's a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to partner with the educational institutions out there to give people a path to employment with the city.

Yeah, using their campuses was insane, because North Seattle has this huge parking lot, and it was just empty.

So with that, Councilman Rosaka had his hand up.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for being here today and sharing more about the broader program, you know, notwithstanding the four proposed candidates.

Great program.

Just coincidentally, I met earlier this week with the South Seattle College president.

Great conversation, very productive.

Amongst other things, she mentioned that Councilmember Rivera, your visit, and how tickled you were, and it's very clear from this conversation as well.

A very impactful experience for you, but more importantly, when we're empowering people with these opportunities and these skills, the Georgetown location branch of the South Seattle College that is in my district.

Their main campus is in West Seattle, another part of my district.

But in any event, I'll be doing my own tour soon enough of the site, because she hyped it up so well on your behalf.

but shout out to our iron workers and sheet metal workers and plumbers and pipe fitters and all the above.

It's important work and literally helping to build and shape our future of the City of Seattle.

So thank you.

Thank you.

I'm going to let you get through this.

I know you went through your PowerPoint, but I know you're excited to talk about the four reappointments, Summer, Todd, Jeff, and, am I saying this right, Michiko?

Michiko.

Okay, I'm going to let you go through that, and I should let you know that all the council members here, did you have something to say, council member?

Okay.

Yes, chair.

Yes, okay.

What is it?

Get it out so we can get on with this.

What the public doesn't see is that we have our computer systems and I had my hand raised within that.

And I never look at that.

I just look down the thing.

My chair doesn't look at that.

I just wanted to, well, first echo Councilmember Rivera's points as a son of a welder.

I do appreciate everything that she said and the education pieces that tied to it.

I'm happy to hear the possibilities, particularly with the Seattle Promise Program, that we could leverage this.

And also, Councilmember Saka, because he and I have been to meetings down south of my district and his district, and my focus has generally been maritime, but this applies to the city.

Everything, there's so many similarities.

And one of the similarities, a theme across the board, and I just heard this in a report recently, is this disconnect because employers are out there and they're like, hey, we need people.

We need people with these qualifications.

And they're like, we don't have anybody.

It's like, where is everybody?

But then on the flip side, there's all these individuals who are just looking for what they can be, but they don't see themselves as being there because they don't see themselves making those steps in between.

And this is really important.

My time in the Navy, I was mentoring the young sailors all the time and the constant theme was step by step, invest in yourself, build these steps till you can get to that place.

And the point of the report was, The apprenticeship program is such a key way to bridge those two pieces and to create those steps for opportunities.

So then an individual who may not have all the skills, but maybe has the mask, whatever the area it is or interests in that they can learn.

and they could be trained, and then meet that point where the employer's like, oh yes.

And then the bonus is if the employer is doing this, if the city is doing this, investing in them, you have greater loyalty, you have greater appreciation of these pieces.

So it's a, as I like to say, a win-win.

So I just wanted to echo my colleagues' points, but also highlight that report that I heard on, I believe, KOW this week, that spoke to that, and I appreciate that, again, as a son of a welder, that there's so many folks that look to do that piece, but they don't see themselves doing it, because they haven't finished high school, or they finished high school, They didn't believe in themselves in terms of going, and there's lots of reasons for that.

But these apprenticeship programs across the board are really that ability to bridge, again, that gap.

And that gap is hurting us as a city.

It's hurting us as a county and a state too because we need that expertise.

you know like on the maritime side there's so much that this is the reason why I want to do a maritime strategy because there's so much skill sets here and so much capability we serve like the entire country not just Seattle or just the West Coast and then internationally too but you know that doesn't continue unless we invest in those young people who are middle-aged people maybe who are looking to do that and you know have an interest and then want to have that stability that comes from a career in some of these areas.

So I just wanted to thank you and Chair for bringing this up as an opportunity to discuss this because I think it's important and we should be looking across the board, not just within the electrical power, Seattle light world, but across the board.

So thank you, Chair.

I'll put my hand down now.

Your old hand.

I was just going to say more and more as the sort of digital divide starts to happen and there's more and more focus on sort of jobs in technology and things like that.

I think often those tried and true trades that have been around for more than 100 years sort of get lost.

And we are still, despite my 22 years with Seattle City Light, we are still in places where we're talking to students and young people and even people who are maybe mid-career professionals and they're saying, I never knew about these jobs.

And so we definitely, I was sharing with Council Chair Juarez that any opportunity I have to talk about our apprenticeship programs and sort of brag on the things that we do, I want to do that.

But in large part, it's because people really don't know about the amazing opportunities that people have after going through an apprenticeship.

And the best part, I think, about the city's apprenticeships is Not only do you get the on-the-job training, but we also pay for all of the schooling, all of the equipment, all of the gear.

And so there is not that sort of financial barrier that there often is when people go into maybe other apprenticeship programs.

So earn and learn.

You know what, Devana, you did say something important.

I won't harp on it, but the two things that when I was going through the packet and looking at when you and I have spoken before, is the Promise Program under Mayor Durkan and us implementing it citywide has just been such a wonderful pipeline flow for, if you're not looking at a four-year college, the trades is where you would like to be.

And second of all, this is kind of on a, well, we just watched a bunch of AI bills die in Olympia.

But when AI takes over, I mean, the only people who are gonna be valuable are gonna be plumbers, iron fitters, carpenters.

I'm sorry, but that's what's gonna happen.

And you know, well, maybe not lawyers, maybe I still have a role somewhere.

But my point is, it's kind of a comfortable circle.

We did a trip to Germany with the port It was just fascinating watching their high school structure where the last two years They're not really in high school.

They're they're doing trades They're working in at the end.

What is the big plane people that build planes over there?

They're competitors with Boeing Airbus.

Yeah Airbus.

They're doing things the Airbus are fixing helicopters there it dovetails into their high school education and they're getting paid.

And then they can make a decision, do I want to go to college and be an engineer or do I want to stay here and do hands-on, either way.

But we don't really have that in the system.

And I remember when customer Bagshaw and I were thinking how cool that was with a port city like Hamburg, Germany is where we were.

The conditions are about the same as far as labor, capital services, the type of services that keeps an economy moving.

And so just getting back to, we just watched a bunch of bills, like I say, just died in Olympia regarding artificial intelligence to put some guardrails on data centers and also just a bunch of stuff.

and so that's just a real concern for me that people just aren't using their hands and their minds anymore and we need to value that and support it, so thank you.

With that, I'm gonna let you brag on and get through your four amazing appointees.

Reappointments.

Thank you so much.

So I'll start with Summer Hepburn, and she is a current JATC member.

She has a bachelor's degree in anthropology and sociology, and she is representing the JATC as a labor representative from Local 32. She is in the Seattle Public Utilities Water line of business and she completed the SPU Water Pipe Worker Apprenticeship Program and is currently working out of class as a crew chief.

and is a leader on the all hydrants crew for Seattle Public Utilities.

And she has taught curriculum related to gender disparity and allyship within the trades and has also worked with the fire department on how to properly operate and test fire hydrants.

Great.

The next person is Todd Schneider.

He is currently Seattle Public Utilities Apprenticeship Program Manager, and so he is representing management on the JATC for Seattle Public Utilities.

He's a double major in American History and Political Science, and has worked closely with students in Seattle Public Schools.

and was also a member of the Peace Corps and provided teacher training for rural teachers in the Republic of South Africa.

Prior to him joining the city, he was an employee of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, focused on the apprenticeship program.

He was our apprenticeship liaison with the state for 13 years.

is currently on the JATC for representing SPU on the management side.

Should I keep, just keep going?

We got Jeffrey here.

Yes, so Jeffrey G. Berry, he is a Seattle City Light employee.

He initially came to Seattle City Light in the pre-apprentice line worker program and had an injury, so he and then moved into our electrical constructor program, which is a substation operator.

He completed that apprenticeship, but then went and completed another apprenticeship and became a line worker.

a crew chief for our underground distribution system, leading crews.

He's been a part of our electrical craft apprenticeship committee, so the ECAC, for a number of years.

and he's also served as a craft instructor.

So at Seattle City Light we have crew leaders that come out of the field and work directly with our apprenticeship programs, helping us develop curriculum, but then also providing mentorship and support for apprentices.

Looks like he's been at Seattle City Light since 2000. Yes.

Good for him.

Yes.

He's also a part of the negotiating committee for Local 77.

That's where I recognize the name.

Okay.

And then Michiko Starks, she is our apprenticeship manager at Seattle City Light.

So we have five active apprenticeships at the utility focused on high voltage electrical workers.

Michiko started her career as a commercial electrician.

So she graduated from a commercial electrician program and then was the assistant training director and then the interim training director for the Puget Sound Electrical Workers Apprenticeship.

and then came to us as the apprenticeship manager.

She also has a degree, an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Washington and then a master's degree in policy analysis and management.

And so I just wanted to point out with all of those folks, background and things like that.

We have a lot of people that are a part of our apprenticeship program, whether having gone through an apprenticeship or are leading apprenticeships, that have four-year degrees and also are a journey-level trades person.

So they are not mutually exclusive.

Yeah, I know.

She's got a very impressive resume.

I was looking down at her University of Washington and her degree and then the Harvard University, then the new school.

And then boom, all of a sudden you look at her resume, she's doing the trades, she's doing electricity, she's doing engineering.

That's pretty amazing.

It is.

It just really is.

So thank you.

Thank you for that.

So I think one of the things that I would just have you take away from this group of people, again, Councilmember Rivera, you mentioned the sort of dedication and time and energy sort of spent on that.

I would say that we feel very lucky to have them.

as a part, as members of our JATC, but also a part of our apprenticeship community because it really does require people to donate their gifts and time and attention to bring along that sort of next generation of worker.

And so I'm very proud to work alongside all of them.

So let me ask you a kind of a question.

It might be a little bit selfish, but I'm sure my colleagues would appreciate it as well.

Do you think you could send us, just you can send to me or the whole council, kind of a list of the apprenticeship programs, the ones that you kind of rattled off?

Because all of us have newsletters, and we love to put this stuff in our newsletter for our constituents, particularly if you have a district with a college in your district, but either way, light rail goes up and down north and south now from one end up to Northgate.

We've seen a rise in enrollment at Northgate College, since Light Rail, talking about this.

But my point is, we really want to do more expansive work under the Promise Program for the Apprenticeship Program.

And if we can provide for our constituents, hey, Seattle City Light and SPU, these are the apprenticeship programs, particularly for our kids that are already enrolled in the Promise Program, it would be really wonderful to have that in our newsletters so parents can see it, and to schools, whoever reads our newsletters.

I don't know if anyone does, but mine's the North Star.

Yes, definitely.

I think that people often don't think about the automotive apprenticeship programs.

And I think most of us know now cars are much more like computers than they are.

And so really, we found that we are attracting more and more young folks to the auto apprenticeship programs because of the great need.

The other thing is we have a lot of heavy duty equipment, and South Seattle College has an amazing heavy-duty diesel program that we are able to attract people to the city.

City Light, SPU and FAS have a lot of vehicles out there on the street, and so we need folks that are able to help us keep them moving so that we can serve our customers.

Well, we have one, I'll do one quick brag here.

When we did the North Seattle Apprenticeship Program for the Ironworkers and Buildings and Trades, and it wasn't a condition, but it was more of a courtesy, like, we would like to see some of these folks hired, and when Dr. Brown was still there, let me know that three or four people who went through the apprenticeship program a year later were hired to build the Cracking Community Iceplex and all the structure and all the building going on up at Northgate.

so that's for me that was just like oh you actually get to see it work on the ground in real person so you don't just see people doing and I went to watch their graduation where they have to like carry those big coils that is no joke I was like there's no way I could well I tried but I couldn't lift it up but watching them have to carry it and do all the exercises it was wonderful watching the men and women do that and then get their certificate and it's just really cool to watch so is there anything else go ahead councilmember

Well, I just wanted to thank you, Chair.

I really wanted to give a shout out to Chancellor Rosie at the colleges.

And Chancellor Rosie has been involved with, you know, and thank you for giving the shout out to Mayor Durkan because I was in the mayor's, I got to work on that at the very beginning.

Yes, you did.

I remember.

And I'm so proud of that and so grateful to the mayor.

and to Chancellor Rosie who they've been working on the 13th year pre the Seattle Promise and they were working together and Chancellor Pan that's right and this is before Chancellor Rosie was Chancellor she was working on this 13th year but I want to give also a shout out to Monica Brown who's the president of Seattle College and also just when you Talk about automotive, I just geek out on this stuff, because South Seattle has this automotive program.

They have a Tesla that you could see the insides of it, because that's how when the kids, I'm a mom, so when the young people are training, they can see it's a whole different, with the EV vehicles, it's a whole different ball of wax than the traditional you know engines and cars but to see it pull apart and how the bells and whistles work it is really cool and I think if young people saw all these opportunities it is really really interesting and these are really really great union jobs so yes I would definitely include that in the newsletter if you send it because this is specific to City Light apprenticeships.

And this is just such a, it's a great program at City Light.

And obviously the colleges are a partner and they have great programs too.

So we wanted to just give a shout out to President Brown and to Chancellor Rosie.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Is there anything else for my colleagues before we go to a vote?

Do you want to add any closing comments before we go to a vote?

Nothing other than thank you for your time and sort of engagement around what we really do view as one of our sort of crown jewels both utilities and also the city, the opportunity to bring people in and really provide a life-changing opportunity and set their life on a completely different trajectory.

Okay, great.

And I'll look forward to getting your information.

Thank you.

We'll do, absolutely.

And as I tell people, we are always hiring at the City of Seattle, and people don't often think about us as an employer if they don't necessarily know someone who has been, you know, who's sort of associated with the utility.

Yeah, that's what my thing was.

I was like, how's the on-ramp into this CLCL at SPU apprenticeship?

I mean, we see all this come across our desks, I mean, even I have a hard time navigating how we get particular folks involved.

If it weren't for Dr. Brown at Northdale College, I wouldn't have learned so much when he was there.

So thank you.

Is there anything else?

Mr. Kettle?

You good?

All right.

You good?

Good as gold.

Oh, OK.

Thank you.

I'm not as cool as the torrent.

All right, so with that, I'm gonna go ahead for the vote.

So I move that the committee recommend confirmation of the four appointees.

That is 03444203447. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you, council member.

It is moved and seconded to recommend confirmation of the four reappointments, mayoral appointments.

Are there any further comments?

Not seeing any.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the recommendation to confirm the four appointments before us?

Councilmember Strauss?

Aye.

Councilmember Saka?

Aye.

Councilmember Rivera?

Aye.

Vice Chair Kettle?

Aye.

Chair Juarez?

Aye.

Chair, there are five in favor, zero post.

thank you the motion carries and the committee recommends that this will go to full council the four appointments will go to full council march 10th 2026 at the full seattle city council meeting thank you thank you so much it's good seeing you again you as well okay good okay so folks we've gotten through our agenda um Let's see.

Let me make sure I say this correctly.

We have reached the end of today's meeting agenda.

Is there anything else for the good of the order?

Not seeing any.

With no further business coming before the committee, we are adjourned.

Thank you.

Chair.

Thank you, Policy Paul.